About Us

WHAT WE DO

The Northern California Regional Land Trust (The Land Trust) is a non-profit organization that assists landowners and public agencies in the voluntary protection and conservation land and other natural resources. We recognize conservation of our working and wild land resources is essential to our region’s quality of life for generations to come.

The Land Trust’s program area includes Tehama, Glenn, and Butte counties, from the western slopes of the Sierra-Cascade Crest, across the Sacramento River Valley, to the eastern slopes of the North Coast Range. Within this approximately 6,000 square mile region, our priorities are the conservation of farms, ranches, and open space important to our region’s economic well-being, ecological health, and quality of life.

A large part of our job is pursuing and securing properties with high conservation value (e.g., cultural, ecological, agricultural and aesthetic), either with conservation easements or through fee title acquisition.

To learn more about the process of working with us, get in touch with us here.

We have four well-defined conservation programs including:
1. Farmland Protection Program
2. Rangeland Protection Program
3. Wildland Protection Program
4. Land Mitigation Program

We also provide fee services that assist in the successful implementation of federal, state and local regulations. The Land Trust provides these services through:
1. Presenting landowners with a variety of options for preserving their lands while retaining private ownership and control.
2. Holding conservation easements for mitigation projects and accepting stewardship contracts.
3. Providing a variety of professional and consulting services to developers and local municipalities and governments including open space planning, acquisition and management of open space properties, drafting, holding and monitoring of conservation easements, and management and monitoring of mitigation properties.
4. Providing professional stewardship and monitoring services for sensitive natural areas. Whether it is land held by others, or on land we hold in conservation easement, we can identify the critical ecological processes and components on a given site and implement adaptive management practices to meet protection goals.

OUR HISTORY

The Land Trust was founded in 1990 under the former name of “Parks and Preserves Foundation” and functioned as a local, grass-roots land trust that promoted cooperative preservation and enhancement of scenic, open space and significant habitat resources in Butte County. In 2000, a long-range strategic planning program was initiated along with a new agricultural land preservation program and our education and outreach programs were enhanced to include aiding and promoting conservation awareness in the region. It was at this time that we changed our name to the Northern California Regional Land Trust in an effort to embrace land conservation in a broader context.

OUR STAFF

John W. Hunt, Executive Director

John has lived in the North State for over 20 years, working as a natural resources professional and project manager for more than 15 years. In this time, John has worked in partnership with private landowners, agencies, and community organizations to conserve, manage, and enhance resources on farm, range, timber and wild lands throughout Northern California. Working with diverse partners, including farmers, ranchers, sportsmen/women, and agency personnel has given John a deep appreciation for the value of respect and communication in identifying common and complementary goals. To achieve these goals, John believes the most important resource we have is the human resource. Though John considers real world experience the most valuable part of his education, he is also a wildlife biologist and botanist with a Master’s Degree in Biology and certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). John loves to spend time with his boys, River and Jonah, taking every opportunity to educate them about the North State landscape and instilling a respect for the land and its resources.

Paul Kirk, Programs Manager

Paul studied Agriculture for a year at CSU, Chico before graduating with a degree in Biology. He got a teaching credential, taught public school for 12 years, and brought environmental education into his curriculum. He returned to CSU, Chico and completed a masters in Botany in 2003. Since then, he has worked in natural resource management. Paul wants to develop an outreach and education program that will allow the community to enjoy the public spaces The Land Trust is protecting. He envisions offering guided walks and educational programs for local schools.

OUR DIRECTORS

Tod Kimmelshue, Vice President

Tod grew up on a family farm in Durham, California and attended and graduated from the Durham school system. After attending two years at Butte College, he finished his college studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, earning a degree in Agricultural Business Management. In 1982, Tod began working for Farm Credit in Livermore, California and has been with the company ever since. He and his wife relocated to Chico in 1985. Currently, he is a Regional Vice President in charge of public relations and business development. Farm Credit is a nationwide agricultural lending institution, which lends money to agricultural producers and agri- businesses. Tod is past president of the Chico Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Butte County Farm Bureau and helped lead those two organizations during the past several years. Tod lives in Durham with his wife Sherri and two sons.

Gerald Armour, M.S., Treasurer

Gerald Armour is co-owner and CFO of the Western Nut Company, a California almond and walnut marketing firm based in Chico, California. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Almond Board of California and has been involved with the almond industry for nearly 30 years. Jerry studied horticulture at UC Davis and received his master’s degree in 1975. He has an active interest in native plant communities and is a member of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon. Jerry lives with his wife, Jane on a five-acre parcel in Paradise, California. He has been personally involved with restoration of native species on this property for more than 15 years. His background in horticulture and passion for native ecosystems fit well into his involvement with NCRLT and its mission to protect land and natural resources. Jerry currently sits on the Executive, Finance and Board Development Committees for NCRLT.

Richard Harriman, Secretary

Joining the board in September ’09, Richard has been involved in environmental and land use issues since 1969, when he worked on his first research project regarding proposed oidl rilling on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. Richard has practiced law in the Central Valley for over thirty years. His primary area of practice has been real property and business litigation, with an emphasis on environmental law, land use planning, water law, and appellate advocacy. Richard sincerely believes that it is not too late to make a difference in the Northern Sacramento Valley and that, if we act promptly and prudently, we can save large portions of agricultural land and open space in this region.

Bert Owens

Bert is a 4th generation cattle producer, real estate broker , and co-founder of AG-Land Investment Brokers. With over 35 years experience in agricultural business, finance, ranch management, cattle production, crop insurance and real estate in Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, and Modoc counties, Bert brings a wealth of practical knowledge, insight, and community relationships to the Land Trust’s diverse working lands conservation programs.